Snow surfboard with stepped stabilizing sides

ABSTRACT

A snow surfboard particularly for use on hard packed snow comprising a central body section, a nose section having a gradual nose kick, a tail section having a gradual tail kick which is less than said nose kick, said central body, nose, and tail sections being integrally formed, the lateral sides of said board curving upward and outward from the bottom of said board, a plurality of inverted longitudinal stabilizing steps formed in said lateral sides of said board, said steps being defined by risers and horizontal step surfaces and extending substantially the full length of said central body section to said nose and tail sections, said steps forming a plurality of longitudinal biting edges. The snow surfboard includes a longitudinal stabilizing skeg on the bottom surface of the body and a pair of turning skegs extending from the bottom surface of the tail section.

Milovich et a].

Jan. 1, 1974 SNOW SURFBOARD WITH STEPPED STABILIZING SIDES [75] Inventors: Dimitrije'Milovich, 3 Prospect St.,

White Plains, N.Y.; Wayne E. Stoveken, 20 E. 46th St., Bayonne, NJ.

[73] Assignee: said Milovich and Stoveken, part interest to each [22] Filed: Sept. 29, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 293,490

[52] US. Cl. 280/18, 280/12 H [51] Int. Cl B62b 13/00 [58] Field of Search 280/18, 12 H, 12 R; 9/310 E [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,187,437 l/l940 Wanat 280/18 3,147,020 9/1967 Dahl 280/18 3,332,697 7/l967 Hagen 280/12 R 3,378,275 4/l968 Rockwood et a] 280/18 3,628,804 l2/l97l Carreiro 280/18 Primary ExaminerLeo Friaglia Att0rney-Edward S. lrons et a1.

[ 5 7] ABSTRACT A snow surfboard particularly for use on hard packed snow comprising a central body section, a nose section having a gradual nose kick, a tail section having a gradual tail kick which is less than said nose kick, said central body, nose, and tail sections being integrally formed, the lateral sides of said board curving upward and outward from the bottom of said board, a plurality of inverted longitudinal stabilizing steps formed in said lateral sides of said board, said steps being defined by risers and horizontal step surfaces and extending substantially the full length of said central body section to said nose and tail sections, said steps forming a plurality of longitudinal biting edges.

The snow surfboard includes a longitudinal stabilizing skeg on the bottom surface of the body and a pair of turning skegs extending from the bottom surface of the tail section.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAR 1 m4 3,

saw an; 2

SNOW SURFBOARD WITH STEPPED STA-BILIZING SIDES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention is'concerned with a device for coasting over a snow surface and more particularly to what has come to be known as a snow surfing board. In some instances, the type of device to which this invention is directedis called a mono-ski; however, this is somewhat of a misnomer since in the present invention the feet of the user are not secured to the top surface of the device as in the case of a mono-ski.

It is well known that in the past few years the sports of both surfboarding and skiing have gained immense popularity. Currently with the development of the increasedinterest in these sports, the equipment, i.e., the surfboards and skis, utilized in the sports have developed extensively in design andin the types of materials and construction utilized in these structures. Within the past few years particularly, largely to meet the desires of persons who are surfing enthusiasts but who are often unable to participate extensively in the sport during the winter months, attempts have been made at designing what has been termed snow surfboards in which the feet are not permanently attached to the ski, or toboggans designed to be utilized by a single person standing on thetop surface.

2 Prior Art In general, the devices developed so far have little resemblance to the characteristics of a surfboard in the way they can be maneuvered or in the methods utilized to control them. Devices developed thus far have generallyv been designed like a mono-ski with a lanyard attached to the leading edge, and the steering has been effected largely by a tilting of the structure from side to side from one side edge to another with the turning being effected by the curving motion of a typical ski or, according to some designers, by pulling up the front point and pivotting on the heel of the ski structure. Other approaches have utilized steering ribs at the edge of a toboggan-like structure.

The necessity of the use of a lanyard attached to the front of the board in many of the previous structures to facilitate the turning by pulling the forward portion up from the snow and forcing the heel downwardly has meant that the control of such snow surfing boards has been effected by motions and techniques very much different from the weight-shifts and balance normally utilized in conventional water surfing boards. Because of the inability to use conventional surfboarding techniques or at least similar techniques for control of snow surfboards, these boards have not been adapted by all those who might otherwise find an interest in the sport. The devices available at the present time aside from imposing the limitation that different control techniques from water surfing be utilized have also lacked the capability of responding positively to refined control movements and been relatively unstable.

Besides requiring different control techniques than conventional surfboards, the snow boards up to the present have found limited use at high speeds and over any snow surface which was other than very smooth and soft because the bumps and shocks resulting from travelling over an uneven or somewhat bumpy surface were transmitted completely to the surfer because of the lack of any substantial shock absorbing qualities in the board. This is especially critical when one remembers that the feet of the snow surfer are not secured to the board as in the case of a skier.

Examples of simple ski boards which cannot be controlled in a refined manner are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,003 Fulsom which discloses a ski board which aside from an upwardly curved toe portion is comprised substantially of a rigid elongated planar body having two longitudinally extending runners spaced inwardly from the longitudinal edges of the bottom surface. Such boards were designed mainly for children and are not designed for sophisticated manuvering or high-speed utilization by adults or more skilled participants. Any shocks from bumps in uneven surfaces are transmitted directly to the user and thus maintaining balance is extremely difficult. Furthermore, turning can only be accomplished in the same manner as conventional skis.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,274 Poppen, there is disclosed what is called a surf-type snow ski of the same basic design as in Fulsom above; however, in this case the heel of the body has a slight upward curve to it and the bottom surface has either a plurality of longitudinal grooves or ridges or a combination thereof to aid in stabilization. A lanyard is attached to the upper side of the toe of the ski to aid in maintaining the balance of the user and for pulling the front portion of the ski up out of the snow to aid in turning. The patentee indicates that the turning is effected by pivotting the board about the heel although it would appear that actual carving the turn in the snow as in conventional ski turns is actually what would take place. A non-skid upper surface is provided and the ski is covered with a conforming layer of water-proof durable resin. The corners or edges are protected by a metal edge as in a conventional ski. In effect, the structure of this patent is primarily a conventional ski without bindings provided with a lanyard for holding on to and being slightly wider than a normal ski in order to accomodate the two feet of the user.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,598 dePauw discloses a toboggan having a corrugated bottom surface with the corrugations running longitudinally to achieve a stabilizing effect. Steering ribs which run longitudinally to the body of the toboggan are spaced slightly inwardly from each longitudinal edge of the toboggan and converge slightly inwardly towards the rear of the toboggan. The rear of the toboggan body is curved upwardly slightly so that the rear portions of the steering ribs are generally out of contact with snow during a straight run and the corrugations alone serve to stabilize the direction. Turning 'is effected primarily by tilting from side to side as in a conventional toboggan although an improvement in control over a conventional toboggan is obtained.

Up to the present time, a snow surfboard which could practically be utilized by a person lying down, standing, kneeling, or sitting on the board without employing means other than balance for keeping contact with the board and controlled by only shifts in weight similar to those utilized in controlling water surfboards was unknown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a greatly improved snow surfboard which is stable under straight running and turning conditions and may be controlled by the user with weight shifts using techniques similar to those employed in controlling water surfboards. The snow board of the present invention can be ridden with the user sitting, kneeling, lying down, or standing and can be easily and smoothly controlled merely by means of weight shifts and balancing similar to the techniques employed with water surfboards.

The snow board of the present invention is designed to give greater turning and stabilizing control both on straight running and especially in turns. The snow board of the present invention is particularly adapted for use on relatively hard packed snow surfaces where even the best boards of the prior art have been unable to be controlled with any degree of accuracy, especially in high-speed turns. This greater degree of control is obtained by utilizing the combination of a longitudinally oriented shock absorbing stabilizing skeg extending below the surface of the central section of the snow board, a pair of turning skegs located on the tail section of the board which turning skegs during normal planing are just out of contact with the running snow but with ease can be placed in contact with the snow to rapidly initiate a turning action by a slight weight shift backward and to one side, together with a plurality of longitudinally oriented steps running from the bottom surface of the central body section of the board upward along the sides of the central section of the board.

The turning skegs are oriented at an angle from 25 to 50 to the longitudinal axis of the board.

The longitudinal steps running lengthwise along the sides of the board provide a plurality of biting edges and stabilizing surfaces. The channels provided by the steps for trapping snow serve to stabilize the board along its longitudinal axis during straight planing and form walls of snow in turns tending to prevent the board from skidding sideways. The edges of the steps serve to provide multiple biting edges as the sharpness of the turn and consequent tilt of the board is increased during a turn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Referring to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of the specification:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the snow board of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the snow surfboard shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top rear portion of the board shown in the above Figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT Referring to the accompanying drawing in greater detail, the snow board of the invention is generally indicated at 2 in FIG. 1 and comprises a fiberglass board 4 having a central body section 6 and a nose section 10 which curves or kicks upward as shown in order to keep the board planing above the surface of the snow in a manner similar to a ski. The aft portion of the central part of the body 6 blends into an upwardly curving tail section 8 which also has a slight lift or kick to it.

Along the bottom surface of the board is fixed a stabilizing skeg 12 which blends with the bottom surface of the central section 6 of the body 4 at the point where it joins the nose 10 as indicated at 14 forming a smooth transition from the surface of the board 4 to the stabilizing skeg 12. The skeg 12 shown is formed of a flexible metal bar approximately inch X 1 /z inch and conveniently is formed of aluminum. The rear portion of the stabilizing skeg 12 is connected to the rear of the main portion 6 of the body 4 as shown at 16. The skeg 12 is anchored in the body of the board 4 by conventional means and can be placed in the body 4 at the time the body is molded or the like. Intermediate sections of the skeg 12 are supported by resilient flexible pillars l8 and 20 of materials such as silicone rubber in order to absorb shocks as the board passes over uneven snow surfaces. Extending from the bottom surface of the board 4 at the tail section 8 are turning skegs 22 and 24 each of which is placed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the board as shown best in FIG. 2. The bottom edges of turning skegs are tapered upwardly at a slight angle from the horizontal plane of the board. The front corners of the turning skegs are normally just above the surface of the snow or skimming the surface so that a slight shift of the users weight back and to one side brings one of the skegs into contact with the snow surface to rapidly initiate a turning action as the board also pivots about the rear of the stabilizing skeg 12. The turning skegs 22 and 24 are oriented at an angle of l0 to from the longitudinal axis of the board 4, with from 30 to 35 being preferred.

As shown in the drawings, the central section 6 of the board 4 has a generally concave cross section as shown best in FIG. 3 which blends into a more or less flat cross section in the nose section 10 and the tail section 8. The sides of the board 4 as shown have a plurality of longitudinal steps formed therein providing a multitude of biting edges indicated by the numerals: 26 indicating the lowermost edge, the edge 28 which is somewhat longer than the edge 26, and the edge 30 whichin turn is longer than the edge 28. The topmost edge 32 which is formed at the very upper portion of the side 25 is somewhat shorter than the two preceding edges since the upper rail of the side of the board curves inward toward the nose and tail sections at its ends. Each of the edges is provided with a metal strip insert 27, 29, 31 and 33, respectively, in order to provide a sharper biting edge and to serve as wearreducing material as in the case of conventional skis.

As shown best in FIG. 3, the steps are formed by risers 46, 48 and 50, respectively, connecting the main bottom surface of the board with the horizontal step surfaces 52, 54 and 56, respectively. The height of the risers 46, 48 and 50, respectively, increases progressively as one goes upward from one horizontal surface to the next. The stabilizing gripping edge 28 comes in contact with the snow surface with only a slight weight shift to one side and to the rear as a turn is initiated so that the additional gripping effect provided by the edge 28 is obtained very early in the commencement of the turn. Edges 30 and 32 come into play as the steepness of the tilt of the turn is increased. The stepped cross section of the unique design of this invention also tends to trap loose snow in the spaces defined by the riser 46 and step 52 and the plane of the snow surface thus providing a stabilizing wall of snow, and the same is multiplied as edge 30 et seq. contact the snow surface. Riser 48 is longer than riser 46, and riser 50 longer than riser 48, it being important that the first stabilizing edge 28, to contact the snow after the turn is started, make contact rapidly. The stabilizing steps have been described in detail for one side, that is, the right side of the board 4 as shown. The steps on the opposite or left side 34 have the same design as that of steps 52, 54 and 56 as shown in FIG. 2.

The front and rear portions of the main body section 6 curve inward to blend into the tail and nose sections 8 and 10, respectively, and thus each step terminates at the surface of the side as the side blends into the nose or tail section.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rear of the board is provided with a cutout 40 therein in which is embedded a bar 42 for securing a runaway strap in order to prevent the board from running free if the user should tumble thereby constituting a safety hazard to other persons in the area.

The board of the present invention can be constructed of any of the usual materials employed in constructing skis. Thus, in a less expensive model, a wood core may be utilized, and either steel or aluminum skegs employed. Polyethylene laminate on the lower running surface of the board may be used. In more refined models, a high density foam such as polyurethane may be used as a core material or glass fiber and the like may be used. Epoxy and fiberglass laminate constructions are also envisioned. In a preferred form, the metal skegs 12, 22 and 24 are embedded within the material of the body 4 during the molding of the body.

Dimensions of a typical board as described above are approximately 4 /2 feet in length, 1 foot wide, the central portion of the body being approximately 2 to 2 A feet long. The normally planing surface of the board should have a surface area of about one square foot for each 50 pounds of weight of the contemplated user. The turning skegs are one-fourth inch wide by five inches in length of aluminum and extend approximately one-half inch below the surface of the tail portion at the maximum depth with the front portions being located just above the planing surface. The nose kick or the distance the nose rises'above the horizontal bottom surface of the board is about four inches in the embodiment above. The stabilizing skeg extends about 1 Vs inches below the bottom surface of the board.

The stabilizing skeg and longitudinal steps of the snow surfboard of the present invention serve to maintain the longitudinal axis of the board parallel to the axis of travel in straight running. The longitudinal stabilizing skeg absorbs shocks from uneven surfaces and thus provides a smoother ride.

The user in travelling down a hill without turning cates his weight centrally on the board. The turning action is positively controlled by merely shifting back slightly .on the board, shifting ones weight to one side so that one of the turning skegs initiates contact with the surface. The turning force applied can readily be increased by shifting the weight further backward and to one side, the turning being positively initiated by the turning skeg and thus the turn starts to develop rapidly with the slightest shift in weight. The tilt of the board causes the board to carve the turn in a similar manner to that of a ski due to the rocker or curvature of the board which depends, as in the case of skis, upon the degree of flex built into the board.

The importance of the turning skeg is that it rapidly initiates smooth turns and gets the turn started with minimum shift in weight of the user. The effect of the turning skeg is somewhat similar to a rudder, that is, the more surface that is presented to the running snow, the

greater the turning moment that is generated. The amount of surface is, of course, determined by the angle that the skeg is set to the center line, the depth of the skeg, and its angle from the lower tail surface. As indicated, the turning skeg in normal running is just out of contact with the snow and, as the weight is initially shifted backwards and to the side, the forward portion of the turning skeg which has the least surfacev area is first presented to the snow as the rear portion is extended further into the running snow.

As the turn develops, the edges of the steps on the side of the board towards the inside of the turn make progressive contact with the surface of the snow providing additional stabilizing and/or turning edges to prevent the board from skidding in the turn. This is especially critical on hard packed snow surfaces where boards of this type would tend to skid sideways easily. As previously indicated, the risers and horizontal step surfaces tend to trap ridges or walls of snow which further serve to prevent skidding in a turn. The steps also serve to stabilize the direction of the board in straight running in looser packed snow where the board may sink into the snow somewhat.

Thus the present invention provides a stable and readily controllable snow surfboard which can be controlled by techniques quite similar to water surfboards. Thus the user can ride and control the board from a sitting, kneeling, lying down, or standing position with greatly diminished probability of being thrown off the board as it passes over bumpy surfaces or during maneuvering of the board in turns. The combination of a longitudinal shock absorbing stabilizing skeg, turning skegs and longitudinal steps on the sides of the board results in an extremely stable and highly maneuverable board. Most importantly, the board is controllable by weight shifting or balancing techniques quite similar to those employed in controlling a water surfboard.

While the invention has been explained by a detailed description of certain specific embodiments, it is understood that various modifications and substitutions can be made in any of them within the scope of the appended claims which are intended also to include equivalents of such embodiments.

What is claimed is: I

l. A snow surfboard comprising a central body section, a nose section having a gradual nose kick, a tail section having a gradual tail kick which is less than said nose kick, said central body, nose, and tail sections being integrally formed, the lateral sides of said board curving upward and outward from the bottom of said board, a plurality of inverted longitudinal stabilizing steps formed in said lateral sides of said board, said steps being defined by risers and horizontal step surfaces and extending substantially the full length of said central body section to said nose and tail sections, said steps forming a plurality of longitudinal biting edges.

2. A snow surfboard as claimed in claim 1 which includes a pair of turning skegs fixed to the lower surface of said tail section, said turning skegs being laterally spaced from the longitudinal axis of the surfboard and oriented rearwardly at an angle of from 10 to to said longitudinal axis, said turning skegs extending from the bottom surface of said tail section a depth such that the bottom edges thereof are tangent to or just above an extension of the horizontal plane of the lower surface of the central body section, and a shock absorbing flexible stabilizing skeg running along the first, starting at the bottom of said board, is greater than that of the preceding riser.

4. A snow surfboard as claimed in claim 3 wherein the length of each succeeding step, starting from the bottom, is greater than that of the preceding step.

5. A snow surfboard as claimed in claim 4 wherein said turning skegs are oriented at an angle of 30 to 35 to said longitudinal axis. 

1. A snow surfboard comprising a central body section, a nose section having a gradual nose kick, a tail section having a gradual tail kick which is less than said nose kick, said central body, nose, and tail sections being integrally formed, the lateral sides of said board curving upward and outward from the bottom of said board, a plurality of inverted longitudinal stabilizing steps formed in said lateral sides of said board, said steps being defined by risers and horizontal step surfaces and extending substantially the full length of said central body section to said nose and tail sections, said steps forming a plurality of longitudinal biting edges.
 2. A snow surfboard as claimed in claim 1 which includes a pair of turning skegs fixed to the lower surface of said tail section, said turning skegs being laterally spaced from the longitudinal axis of the surfboard and oriented rearwardly at an angle of from 10* to 50* to said longitudinal axis, said turning skegs extending from the bottom surface of said tail section a depth such that the bottom edges thereof are tangent to or just above an extension of the horizontal plane of the lower surface of the central body section, and a shock absorbing flexible stabilizing skeg running along the longitudinal axis of the surfboard from approximately the point at which the central body section merges with the nose section to a point at which the central body section merges with the tail section, said stabilizing skeg blending smoothly into the lower planing surface of the board at the juncture of the nose section and central body section so as to facilitate the smooth flow of snow.
 3. A snow surfboard as claimed in claim 2 wherein the length of the riser of each succeeding step after the first, starting at the bottom of said board, is greater than that of the preceding riser.
 4. A snow surfboard as claimed in claim 3 wherein the length of each succeeding step, starting from the bottom, is greater than that of the preceding step.
 5. A snow surfboard as claimed in claim 4 wherein said turning skegs are oriented at an angle of 30* to 35* to said longitudinal axis. 